What This Year's Turnpike Classic Means for the Rest of the Cowboys' Season

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are currently on a much-needed bye week after a 69-3 loss against Oregon. The Cowboys are hoping to pull themselves together for their showcase against Tulsa next Friday in Stillwater. 

Although OSU is favored to win the Turnpike Classic once again, this year's game could have massive repercussions on the future of the Cowboy team as a whole. 

A win for OSU in this game sends the right message. It proves the team can win games it’s supposed to, and it would give this year's team a boost of momentum going into Big 12 play. It would also give younger players confidence down the stretch. Quarterback Zane Flores has not had the best start for the Cowboys, but a great showing against Tulsa could give him the confidence to come into his own when OSU needs him most.

Winning this game also gives the Cowboys hope for the rest of the season. Although Week 2 against Oregon was far from ideal, Oregon is a top-five team in the country and will most likely be the best team OSU plays all year. If the Cowboys are able to get back in the win column this week, it will provide a sense of calmness again that hasn’t been around for a while in Stillwater. 

If Tulsa somehow manages to break Oklahoma State’s 10-game Turnpike Classic winning streak, panic mode will be in full effect. 

Tulsa has not beaten OSU since 1998, and that includes last year when Oklahoma State went 3-9. If this were to be the year that streak was broken, the Cowboys could be in for an even worse year than last year.

All hopes of bouncing back and getting a win in Big 12 play would practically be out the window before conference play even started. All hopes of Mike Gundy keeping his job would practically be gone as well.

There have been talks of buying Gundy out for months now, but would a loss to Tulsa make those talks a reality? Of course, Gundy could shock the world and still pull out a couple of conference wins to keep his job, but if a loss to Tulsa becomes reality, the odds of that happening are slim. 

Although one game doesn’t define a season, next Friday against Tulsa could either be a rallying call or a final blow to a just-starting season.